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Returning to the fight hadn't been easy, but nothing worth doing in life ever was. [break][break]

In his brief recovery following the Battle of Petalburg, Eddie's hands had (mostly) healed and the poison had been long-since expunged from his veins, but he swore he could still feel that burn in the scarred lines that traced down his arm, could still feel the sickness of that toxin weighing him down as he departed from Oldale. It was like a fever he couldn't sweat out, a phantom malady that made his stomach turn and his hands tremble. He had to shake it off, though; someone up the path was really making a mess of things, and Eddie was here to clean it up. [break][break]

That someone, as it turned out, was howling like a Lycanroc baying at the moon, demanding a proper challenge from whoever was in earshot. Though he didn't consider himself a violent man, something about the stranger's bravado drew something bellicose out of Eddie in reply, [break][break]

“Hey!” [break][break]

Eddie's booming voice echoed through the air as he sized up the mask and hat-clad Rocket. He certainly looked the part of a Beast, even if Eddie realized the guy was a little shorter than he had originally figured, [break][break]

“If its a fight yer after, then consider this yer lucky day!” [break][break]

But, Beast or not, Eddie wasn't about to let this mad dog continue to run rabid across the battlefield. The soldier reached for a Beast Ball of his own, and its glassy surface twinkled in the light as he lobbed it hard toward the battlefield. The creature that emerged, however, was neither as delicate nor as sparkling as the capsule that housed it.

[attr="class","bottom"]50 MP - have your character recall a past thread or event that they have participated in or not (link the thread).[break]
50 MP - involve the pokeballs of your pokemon in a meaningful way (e.g. type of pokeball described to reflect the pokemon or character, damaging them, seizing them). [break]
50 MP - describe your character's pokeball throwing style. [break]

Hitoshi Inoue[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Huh, did Rocket Beasts normally employ comedy as some sort of strange battlefield tactic, or was this guy just some sort of wildcard? [break][break]

Eddie stared at the dog, blinking stupidly, as he tried to process what he was supposed to come up with in reply. An origami swordsman darted its way towards Ajax, who struck a pose, flexing upwards, in what Eddie knew was... some sort of response to the other Ultra Beast's chattering. What it meant, exactly, escaped him, but the soldier did notice the way that the bug's antenna drooped and his arms fell to his sides when the Kartana returned to its master. Poor guy; it was a shame his new buddy was on the wrong side of this fight. [break][break]

But geeze, now the other guy was making some attempt at banter? This was war, goddamn it, not the friggin' VCT. That didn't stop the grin that started to tug at the corner of Eddie's mouth, though, as the Kartana flew back Ajax's way, [break][break]

“Hey buddy, I hope yer Pokemon's better at fightin' then you are at comin' up with one-liners!” Eddie called back tauntingly, before turning his attention toward his own extraterrestrial companion, [break][break]

“Go on Ajax, give 'em hell!” [break][break]

The SACRED SWORD raked across the Buzzwole's muscled chest. Maybe the command had come too late, Eddie realized, until he watched that insectoid head snap down, a glint in whatever Ajax had that passed for eyes, as he raised his arms high above him. If the Kartana's attack had done any lasting damage, the Buzzwole did not show it as he suddenly swung a pair of clenched fists down to swat the thing out of the air with a HAMMER ARM. [break][break]

The soldier grinned as he watched the clash, full of pride as he watched his Pokemon fight. The other guy was right; they both worked out “real hard”, and it was nice to finally see the effort pay off. The soldier crossed his own muscled arms over his chest, and Eddie beamed a little smugly at the opposing Rocket, [break][break]

“So, is the samurai getup part'a yer uniform, or didja get lost on yer way ta Otakon?”

[attr="class","bottom"]50 MP - use a legendary, mythical, ultra beast, paradox pokemon in a way that reflects your character or highlights another character. [break]
50 MP - have an antagonistic exchange of dialogue between your character and another writer's character or NPC. [break]

Hitoshi Inoue [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

The Kartana seemed just as predisposed to chatter as its master. Eddie scoffed at the Beast's protestations, but he knew better than to be entirely dismissive of the other man's claims, especially as the origami samurai took the HAMMER ARM with an almost uncanny sort of grace. Ajax must have thought so too, because he suddenly gesticulated wildly as his fellow Ultra Beast bounced back from the sundered earth below them with a laugh, [break][break]

“H-hey now!” Eddie began with an almost juvenile sort of defensiveness, “Ain't nothin' wrong with that! I'd rather be some kinda comic book soldier than a goddamn weaboo – !” [break][break]

Until he became just as distracted as the Beast was, watching that little interaction of man and Pokemon. Eddie watched with some confusion, and turned back to Ajax, who was still attempting to convey something to the Kartana with a series of different arm flexes and bicep curls. [break][break]

Friends, huh? Maybe Ajax could use a friend. After all, Eddie had met the bug stranded in the Border, and he hadn't seen his similarly-muscled companion in months, and – [break][break]

No, wait, this wasn't some sort of play date! Eddie groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose; this was weird. Really goddamn weird, [break][break]

“Ajax, you hearin' this?” [break][break]

He must have, Eddie assumed, but the bug had no way to reply as the LEAF BLADE sent him sailing. The soldier winced as he watched the Buzzwole skid across the ground on his four legs; ouch, that looked like it hurt, and hurt bad enough that the Ultra Beast seemed temporarily dazed. Even after the bug found his footing again, he remained slumped over, shoulders rising and falling as though he were panting to try and catch his breath. Eddie grimaced, [break][break]

“C'mon, big guy, I know you got a little more gas in that tank then that – ” [break][break]

And it turned out, the Buzzwole did. Ajax suddenly righted himself, standing proud and tall with incredible suddenness, and pointed at the Kartana in some sort of goading display. He curled his arms upward, extraterrestrial muscles bulging in a display of staggering strength and virility, and struck a pose of MADDING MACHISMO. [break]

Z-MOVE - MADDENING MACHISMO: buzzwole taunts its foes with a goading flex, slightly reducing incoming damage and boosting buzzwole's own strength for three turns.

[break]

[break][break][break][break] [break][break] [break][break]

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[attr="class","bottom"]25 MP - include a theme song or visual involving your character meaningfully in your post. [break]
10 MP - have your own pokemon use a z-move in your thread. [break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

GI Bro, huh? Well, there were far worse nicknames he could've earned from an enemy combatant. Eddie beamed with pride as another SACRED SWORD failed to find purchase against the Buzzwole's incredible physique, [break][break]

“Well, if ya think that's a neat trick, just wait 'til ya see what else we got up our sleeves!” [break][break]

But perhaps he had spoken too soon when the Beast produced a strange blade. Was that an actual katana? Sweet Arceus, this guy was really committed to the whole 'samurai' bit, wasn't he? Eddie's brow furrowed with confusion as he watched the Beast grin wide, an expression that brought to mind that toothsome smile of the ancient oni, [break][break]

“The hell're you tryin' ta pull – ” [break][break]

The answer would become immediately apparent when the drawn blade burst into flames, and Ajax's body was consumed by a horrific BLAST BURN. The bug screamed, a high-pitched and shrieking noise, like the sound of grating metal, as the fire lapped at his body. This wasn't the first time that Ajax had found himself caught by some horrific conflagration so close to Petalburg, and it chilled Eddie to the core to think that he had subjected the poor creature to such a fate yet again, [break][break]

“You goddamn bastard!” Eddie bellowed angrily, and everything about him suddenly shifted to something more bellicose, to some living thing of fury. He should have known better than to think this was some bit of sport, to even indulge the thought that this strange fellow would play fair.[break][break]

Eddie paid no mind to the screaming Kartana or the unearthly blade that drank deeply of the Beast's blood. All thoughts of cutesy nicknames or some strange friendship between warring Ultra Beasts left him, and Eddie simply charged into the fray, fists raised, ready to exact righteous retribution for his insectoid friend by whatever means he could manage.

[attr="class","bottom"]50 MP - have your character attempt to or successfully take revenge in some way.[break]
50 MP - pace your narrative accordingly by featuring a "back and forth" in terms of advantage and raising the stakes until the climax.[break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Two swords versus no swords was pretty bad odds. The littler one cut its way up his arm, forging a new red river across the expanse of tanned flesh, and sliced through muscle with all the precision of an expert butcher. The pain was pretty bad, yeah, but the fact that Eddie could no longer move the limb in question was far more distressing, [break][break]

“Weakest Beast, huh?” Eddie wheezed through the pain, whirling around to try and keep his eyes trained on the little dog that danced around in an indistinct blur. [break][break]

It occurred to the soldier that there was a solid chance he was going to die out here, that he'd be gutted and left to rot by the glinting steel of the Beast's blades. Eddie frowned a little at the thought, until he saw a familiar bit of red in his periphery – at least he'd be going down swinging, [break][break]

“Well, I better not let ya make me look bad in front'a my Pokemon then, huh?” [break][break]

Somewhere between the dancing daisho and the fleet footwork of the Beast, Eddie thought he spied his opening when the shorter blade sliced its way toward him again. With the benefit of a larger wingspan (at least, for the arm that still worked), the soldier reached past the wakizashi to grab it's wielder's arm, and pulled the Beast close to level a rough knee to the gut. [break][break]

It probably wouldn't be enough to properly incapacitate the guy, outside of maybe knocking the air out of his lungs, but with the thrum of a mosquito's wings surging through the air once more, Eddie knew he at least wasn't alone for this brawl.

[attr="class","bottom"]Hitoshi Inoue [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Ajax would not hear the Beast's thoughts, nor would he pay any mind to the other Ultra Beast darting toward that epicenter of human conflict. The only thing that concerned him was the familiar orange-clad man, and that red, red blood pooling beneath him. The larger Ultra Beast moved with haste towards the brawling men, gaining momentum with the rapid thrum of his wings, and he wrapped one muscular arm around Eddie's waist, [break][break]

“Hey, what the hell do ya think yer doin' – ?!” [break][break]

Eddie was strong, but the Buzzwole was stronger, and with one careful pull, the soldier's grip suddenly slipped from the Beast's arm as he was hoisted back, pulled away with a fierce strength and moved away from the man and his swords. The soldier sputtered indignantly when they finally landed a couple of measly yards away, [break][break]

“Ajax, let go'a me! I ain't done yet!” [break][break]

Bold words, perhaps, for a man whose face was taking on a more deathly pallor with each moment that passed. Ajax seemed to fare no better, Eddie realized, when he noticed the way that the Buzzwole's red skin was blackened in places from his horrific burns, [break][break]

“This – this ain't over,” Eddie spat, though a sudden rush of nausea gave his words more of the affectation of a whimper. His knees felt liable to give out on him, until Ajax's arm looped around him, holding him up. The soldier's head swam, and he weakly considered that maybe it had something to do with the mangled arm that now dripped that vital redness like a leaking faucet. [break][break]

Ajax's wings thrummed again, and Eddie wondered, a little deliriously, if that massive bug could actually fly. The Buzzwole wouldn't answer that unspoken question, of course, but he would spare a final look to the Kartana, lingering on the origami swordsman with something between wariness and regret.

[attr="class","bottom"]50 MP showcase a meaningful moment between your character and their Pokemon.[break]
50 MP have your character's Pokemon symbolize or represent in some way, the condition of your character.[break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]

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A tie might as well have been a loss, and loss was a bitter pill to swallow. Eddie still attempted some sort of glower at the Beast, but it grew harder to do when the edges of his vision began to blur and fade into static, [break][break]

“I ain't – yer not – ” [break][break]

But the soldier was neither in any condition to keep fighting, nor was he in any position to question why the Beast was giving him an out. Maybe there was still some honor to be found here after all, somewhere between the burning flames and clashing steel. Maybe Rocket's weakest Beast possessed some level of principal that his compatriots did not – maybe it was some teaching of bushido, or maybe the guy just wasn't the snake that the soldier figured him for. The thought was enough to make Eddie smile weakly when he felt himself being lifted from his feet, [break][break]

“I will,” he coughed, and he watched the dog flee down the path, [break][break]

“See ya next time, samurai.” [break][break]

Eddie's world would fade to black not long after, but thankfully, the brawny Ajax was already well on the way to whisking him to safety. The arm would heal, with time, severed tendons being stitched back together and new blood infused into an ailing body, but Eddie wouldn't forget the encounter. Another goal to aim for, he figured, a new benchmark to hold himself to. [break][break]

He would be ready when next he fought Rocket's weakest Beast, and maybe next time, he would bring a sword of his own to clash with.

[attr="class","bottom"]50 MP have your character learn to respect another character in some way.[break]
50 MP have your character learn something from the other character.[break][break]
FINAL MP TOTAL: [break]
From prompts: 585 [break]
From number of posts: 70 [break]
Completing thread: 25 [break]
Faction conflict: 150 [break]
Outcome - tie: 100 [break]
Total MP: 930 MP [break][break]
Hitoshi Inoue [break]